Shuttle driver #5 - Driver who did not see a road divider in the dark!

Driver #5, is a very recent one infact, he was doing duty just few weeks back till date. He came as driver for our office cab for 4-5 days after which we got a new cab altogether. Couple of strange things happened during this 4-5 days as well.

To start with he was another guy who was 5 feet tall, fairly short and used to drive a Toyota Innova. Visibility to him was fairly poor, and one thing I observed was, he used both of his hands to drive the vehicle (I meant on the steering wheel). When he shifted gears, he quickly got back his left hand on the steering wheel (almost within a flash).

So whats so queer about this guy you may be wondering.

- While taking a right turn somewhere near Jayanagar 5th block, this driver, did not notice a road divider in the dark due to his visibility owing to his height and as a result, the front vehicles nearly missed coming in contact with the road divider, but when he swerved right, the vehicle hit the road divider and got stuck. Though the damage was minimal, it was stuck,with front wheel in the front of the divider and back wheel behind the divider. We retrieved the vehicle and continued.

- One more incident that happened during his stay was, at Kadirenhally, when there was a BBMP election promotion, people were asked to move quickly to make way for the people. Our cab stalled at this very place and few people managed to give it a push to a road side. We managed to start it, the fault was owing to a faulty electrical connection, owing me to write a post on " how to shame a toyota innova "

And this driver was from Kukke Subrahmanya and I asked him, if he had ever climbed Kumaraparvata. The answer was negative!

Cheers,

Shuttle driver #4 - Driver who faced road rage!

This one particular driver came to our route, with a Tata Sumo, manual steering (non power assisted). He was a very slim build and used to be pretty confident on his driving skills. There were few highlights of this driver too.

- Once the vehicle got punctured at Channasandra and there was no spare wheel and the driver did not have money to get the tyre fixed too! He borrowed money from our colleague!

- Once while driving at Chikkalsandra, the vehicle ran out of fuel. The gas station was 1 kilometer backwards or either 3-4 kilometers forward. This driver jetted the fuel like people do it in a keroscene stove and started the vehicle, we managed to get it running and went back 1 kilometer to get a refuel done.

- Once this vehicle met with an accident at Channasandra and the travels guy refused to pay money to the other party resulting in a road rage, where in the resident of Channasandra threatened to pelt stones at this vehicle if it passes through the Channasandra road again!

- Above all, this driver let me drive the Tata Sumo, and I did drive it, without a right side rear view mirror, I drove with my left hand on the steering wheel and right hand perched on the door signaling outside, the moment I made it to uttarahalli curve, I could not manage the non power assisted steering with a single hand and had to use both of my hands though to make the turn!

Cheers,

Shuttle driver #3 - Driver who charged extra for a blood donation detour

After the driver of the red Chevrolet Tavera absconded, our immediate replacement cab was another Chevrolet Tavera, this time a white one. So during this time, it happened so, we had to go for a blood donation drive to BGS Hospital Kengeri, for an immediate blood donation.

So all of our cab members decided to donate blood that day and after picking up everyone, instead of going to office, we took a detour to BGS Hospital Kengeri.

But we failed to convince our driver to take us to the hospital instead, he was quite relentless on going to the office only. Finally we had to pitch in with Rs 300 in order to convince the driver to take us to the hospital and made him wait for the entire 40 minutes duration while we completed the blood donation process.

While coming stopped at Kanti sweets Chikkalsandra and cabmates ate to their tummy full. Incidentally I was on diet that time was well, so had to fend myself with minimal dose of juice. That day was April 2014 and it still echoes in my head to this day, regarding what was the need for immediate blood donation.

Cheers,

Shuttle driver #2 - Lending money to a driver who absconds!

I faintly recollect only a single driver from my previous workplace, because rest all served for a day or two and also, few of them were brought on a per day basis, who were full timers with other companies.

This particular driver, came to our office duty with his own Red Chevrolet Tavera, it had clocked 1.5 lakh kilometers on the odometer and was pretty decent in maintenance. After doing duty for about a week the driver was unpaid, which resulted in the driver asking us Rs 500 towards diesel on one fine day. I gave the driver the money, since couple of others did not acknowledge.

To our surprise, the driver got the payment for his week's effort that very day and can you believe the first thing he did after that, was to abscond! Luckily, the transport team had with held, Rs 500 and gave it back to me, few days later though!

Cheers,

Shuttle driver #1 - Who says short people cannot drive heavy vehicles!

Driver #1, is an interesting character, he was about 4 feet 5 inches only, and very slim build, yet he managed to drive a Tempo Traveller. He used to drive as if there was no tomorrow!

I wish I had a picture of him, there were few very strange or queer things about him. Eventually after driving for close to 6 months ( I guess) he just vanished. I hope he is doing good, I haven't met him, since I too changed organizations and this was the year 2012.

Few strange things were!
- He was about 4 feet 5 inches and when he sat on the driver's seat, he was literally invisible. His shoulder was literally invisible from the rear seat, meaning it would hide behind the back rest. He was that short!

- Once another driver asked whose the driver of our route shuttle, so we replied saying the short guy, to which the other driver said, oh that guy, the one who is going to marry a second time! We were shell shocked, we never asked him about his family, but this was altogether a big surprise! The other driver also said, he had signed divorce papers with his first wife and was ready to take a plunge the second time! He was also jealous, how did the short guy could manage to do it 2 times?

There is a saying in Kannada, "Kallranna nambudru kullranna nambabaradu" which roughly translates to, "Even if you end up trusting a thief, never end up trusting a short guy". It looked like this age old saying came true for the nth time as well.

- He always used to eat gutkha, and finally one fine day, there was a complaint against him by one particular senior employee, that he was drunk while driving regularly. Eating gutkha was to mask the bad alchohol smell! This probably led to him being taken out!

- One more one of a kind instance I can recollect was, he was the one and only driver, who slept off at the steering wheel at a traffic junction. JP Nagar Sarakki signal used to be heavily crowded during that year and at 6pm it was a nightmare crossing the same. It was one such day, while driving all the way from ITPL this guy took a nap at the signal. But somehow got up, because of the honking of the vehicles behind us! No damage done, since it happened at a stop position.

I wish to name him, but never mind, I can any day recollect his name, and after all, its only me who reads this blog post, so, it hardly matters, what I decide not to mention!

Cheers, 

Office shuttle (cab) driver series - Prologue

I may be out of my senses for posting this series on our office shuttle drivers. I have been travelling long distances since quite a few years, and many years of which I have used office shuttle including the current one.

So I have come across multiple drivers, operators, vehicles, loads of interesting encounters with strangers who later became friends and then lost them in this wild wild world. I sincerely hope and pray, many of them have found better future for themselves.

I think they are a quintessential part of Bangalore development, without whom, the so called skilled manpower of Bangalore would be of rendered useless to the APAC and Euro community of course! (Considering, we stay on one side of the town and to our surprise our workplace is exactly on the other side of the town).

Disclaimer - If you kinda got time to hang around reading all about strangers, its your choice after all.

Mind you, all of the information is accurate, and I aint making up any stories!

Cheers,

Happy teachers' day

Today is teachers' day. An auspicious day of course. Remember, in one of the previous posts I had written about GuruBala and here I am writing about Teachers' day. I think the blessing of a teacher is the fuel on which each individual runs.

I have had lots of teachers, and still continue to have, each day, is like a dedication to each one of them. I hope for their good life, longevity and may the world be a place, where people groom others up selflessly as better individuals to be.

Cheers,

Sourcing a picture from ibnlive.com

PS - I am in bad need of a teachers' blessing. Hopefully today on-wards there will be a good turnaround.

Reading list and writing list.

After I purchased my kindle or rather, after I rejigged my reading habits to read more, I began to track what all I read and how much I read using goodreads.com. And the good thing is, goodreads.com is integrated into the kindle itself, though I very rarely connect my kindle to wifi. I prefer to use goodreads.com via laptop itself!

Now that, I keep track, I also got a reading list, where in I have set a wholesome count of 75 books for the year 2015. I know its late in the year, may be I wont be able to make it, I was wondering, if I could set a writing list as well. Like 75 posts for the year 2015. [Though  none of the posts are intended for others read, its for my own satisfaction, that I end up posting].

So I am close to the 50 mark, now I guess, hitting 75 shouldn't be a concern though considering, I have my office cab driver series which shall surely contribute around 7-10 posts.

Only concern is when do I get a time to switch on the PC and post it. Either I am too lazy or just plain occupied. I can open blogger and post it from office as well, but I feel, its unethical. So hoping to post from home.

Regarding reading, I am checking time and again for books which are 200 pages or lesser so that, I can read them quickly and make up for the reading challenge I have for 2015, That's how shameless I can be, of course!

Cheers,

Navalur - Guava

Navalur is a place which comes somewhere in between Hubli and Dharwad, and the place is famous for Guava. Each time I drive though that stretch I am told to stop to buy guavas.

Until the last time, I was complaining that, a guava causes me sore throat. This time considering, my diet and my improved knowledge on what guava has, I am carefree when eating guava and more than happy to acknowledge and make a stop.

Brought around 15 (nos) of guava for around Rs 70 I guess, so for the next few days, my diet supplement of course!

Cheers,

Hubli-Dharwad, aint that interesting anymore!

The first time, I can recollect going to Hubli Dharwad was in the year 1992, and since then I have been going to the twin cities at least once in every 2 years. Over the years, my liking for the cities have become decrimental.

As a kid I loved the place, the railway stations, those steam engines, the laid back life, when I saw the people over there, and above all, the old house of Babu Singh Thakur Pedha, where we would order few kilos before going to the temple and come back in the afternoon and collect the same.

But things look different now, its more or less crowded as compared to Bangalore. Crowd crowd everywhere, the Hubli Dharwad road seems to be in a complete mess since the last 3 times I have been there. I hate driving through the city, but too lazy to figure out the bypass existing over there which makes me drive through that road.

Last time too it was dug up for expansion and laying of concrete, this time too it was dug up for repair and some flyover construction. Made me kick myself of not taking the by pass directly to Dharwad.

On top of that, we went on weekend, and thus there was no south indian meals available at all since it was a holiday. We were made to order north indian food. I am not that food lover, but eating north indian meals time and again makes me crib a lot about it. Somehow managed couple of days across 2 times, once in the afternoon and then in the evening. And then it was Monday, weekday, as usual got my share of south indian meals and I was happy happy.

This was not the case back 20 years, North Karnataka style food was available in abundance, back then. Now its all chaos. Felt like escaping from that place.

How I wish, technology, population wouldn't have peaked this much!

And Babu Singh Thakur Pedha, I dont know where that old house just vanished, now its become a big buck enterprise with franchisees opening stall at every corner of the city, where in a supplier supplies them pedha stock each day. Gone are those days!

Cheers,

PS- I wonder, whats wrong with people of Hubli Dharwad that they prefer Roti/Naan/Curry/Palav over rice/rasam/sambar over the weekends, the case was same across few known hotels, not that I did not try multiple hotels!

There is a first time for everything!

Got fined for not having an emission certificate for my car, that too along Hubli Dharwad highway. It was the first time since I started driving a car that, I was stopped! The policeman seeing the registration of KA-41 was keen on stopping and asking for documents. As the saying goes, there is a first time for everything!

Cheers,

The day I drove through unknown villages

Yes, it was yesterday and the reason was, there was a strike going on across Saundatti, where in the protestors had blocked rather hijacked the highway. Thus I could not get to the Darshan at YellammanaGudda. When I returned back to the original highway after a small detour, there was a policeman who told me to take another road, where in there was no strike and no agitation at all.

I was relieved, I could drive back to Bangalore on the same day I thought. But after driving through hoards of unknown villages and on not so great roads, I realized, there was an agitation everywhere around Saundatti, leaving me with no other option than to return to the hotel,

Thus a drive of around 50-60 kilometers across, unknown villages, amidst intense sunlight, left me all but dehydrated. But in the evening there was a pleasant surprise waiting.

No sooner I hit the highway towards Saundatti yet again, I could see, buses plying towards Saundatti and also saw a bus returning from Bijapur, sure I thought the agitation was over, and it was indeed. Thus ended the day on a high note. Took an extra day to reach back to Bangalore, but worth the effort.

Cheers,

Quick trip admist chaos and strike

I had plans to visit the holy temple of Goddess Yellamma Devi since quite a while. It had been two years, since I had been there and I had lots of praying to do. Last time I went there, I was in a different shape, this time, I would go there in a different shape altogether, thanks to my teacher.

All in all, the trip turned out to be a day longer than I anticipated. Thanks to the Kalasa  Manduri Nala Project agitation, the people of Saundatti had hijacked the highway and blocked,it, making us to return back without a chance to visit the temple.

But returned to the same highway in the evening and had a good neat and nice darshan at the temple at YellamanaGudda, since the agitation was over. That makes me very happy, but at the same time, it costed me a day extra, but never mind, all's well that ends well.

Cheers,

Office shuttles and drivers

Its been two years, since I have been working for this organization, and almost all of the two years, I have been travelling to office, by office shuttle, owing to the distance, traffic, working time etc etc.

I do not prefer to drive my car to work considering the distance is 20+ kilometers one side, plus, driving a two wheeler gives me a headache. So I end up going by cab.

In all of the two years, you can imagine the number of different drivers, we would have met. Believe me, its more than 60-70. Its a huge number, each one driver with his own story, his own experience. So I just got a thought, why couldn't I simply recollect few instances and write them up over here. After all, there are different photo projects like the 500 strangers project in place, which target unknown people and tell story about it.

I could write about the same, hoping few years down the line, I myself could read the same, how cool would be that,

Cheers,

PS- I do have the trek blogs to be completed, but I am way to lazy, and as time passes I am ending up forgetting all of the details. This would be a quick burst of short posts rather than lengthy, flimsy posts about trekking, which would include me self bragging about it. Never mind, some day I shall definitely complete them.

Amidst irony yet again!

This monday, I had been to the service center, to get my car serviced. The car was in a not so clean state and owing to the construction happening next to my home, it all the even more was dirty. 

Looking at which, the customer service adviser (or whatever) exclaimed, with a smile to the mechanic, saying, look at this car, its hardly been maintained or very bad on maintenance. I felt a little bit embarrassed. 

My car is not used everyday and I have taken it to the service center pretty much regularly, and I was wondering, how come, by just by looking at the car, made him say so.

But by evening, once the service was done and the car was clean, the same service adviser, asked me, whether I was willing to sell my car. The reason he told was lot of employees at Tata themselves were lookout for cars, ( which had run exceedingly less and single owner driven, he did not tell this part though).

Now who on earth would have imagined, the same person would make contrary statements one in the morning and the other in the evening!

Cheers to ironies,

No more Quora please!

Well, Almost two months since I have deleted my quora account and I have not gone back to it. Calls for a celebration though. Quora was such a waste of time for me, I regret having spent couple of months on the same.

Cheers,

I have added more and more people on the restricted list of my Facebook, so, my FB wall, is all but less with feeds these days.

Break from diet

After coming back from Auden's col trek and then after a few days, I was back on my diet. And after almost 2 months, I took a leisure break from diet, considering I was unwell and felt like eating a bit more. Ate rice 2 times a day, ate few biscuits and ate couple of pieces of Dharwad Pedha.

This was the most, I have eaten in the last few months. Now that its all over, I shall be back to my strict routine, starting tomorrow. Meanwhile got my car serviced today.

Cheers,

Of BharatMatrimony.com and getting married...

Getting married seems to be on my todo list since the days I came back from Auden's col trek. I am keen on getting married, and moreover I am getting older day by day, it makes more sense that, I get married quickly.

Hoping, to do so, I registered for BharatMatrimony.com. Its been a month since I have registered. I have got requests from few people and I have sent request to few people. Unfortuntalely, I do not feel like proceeding ahead with the requests which I am getting and same thing is holding good vice-versa as well. All my requests sent are getting turned down.

In between I have paid a premium of Rs 3300 to BharatMatrimony to send requests/mails/view phone numbers of/to strangers. So all in all, the only people seem to be benefitting in my case are none other than BharatMatrimony. (May be I am wrong, may be that's how it works! Cheers to my sarcasm though)

If you think I shall pay them a premium the very next time, you are wrong my friend.

Cheers,

Disclaimer - you never know, something's wrong with me. May be my GURUBALA is missing, O teacher, please bless me, so that I can get married.

Not much updates

How I wish to write more often! Its not been possible for quite some time now. The write-up I planned to post about the Auden's col trek, is still incomplete. I have had some work at office, I am short on time, reading books only and training for yet another big day.

I have made no trips out of town of late. No treks as of now, since I came back from Uttarakhand, but no regrets, because I am proud of what I am training for!

Keeping fingers crossed!

Cheers,

How to shame a Toyota Innova ?

The answer is - bad maintenance.

Toyota Innova is one such vehicle which you can be rest assured, would never break down in the middle of the road, how bad your luck may be.

But to our surprise, the office shuttle which is a Toyota Innova turned out exactly to do the same thing. It stalled at PadmanabhaNagar and refused to start.

After checking for lose connection alongside the battery, we were able to get it up and running, now, who ever could have known, a Toyota Innova could have such bad maintenance that, substance had gotten deposited alongside the battery connection which had to be cleaned up to complete the circuit.

Never mind, I still respect the vehicle. My search for a used Toyota Innova still continues,

How I wish the Naturally Aspirated 2.4L Toyota Qualis Diesel was still available, I could buy a new one itself, (instead of coaxing owners to sell their Innova). Its production stalled a decade back!
And even to this day, I miss that vehicle!

Cheers,

Disclaimer - this is my own opinion, and I guess, I have a right to my own opinion.